A Flurry of Frosted Feathers {CLOSED}

With a strident, exasperated hiss, Featherpaw stumbled sideways when an abrupt pain pricked at her paw. Her foreleg promptly darted up, revealing a thorn piercing her tender pads. A sharp sting pricked at it, and a coppery crimson seeped down, oozing steadily, but lightly. It hadn't slitted in too severely, but she'd been indirectly informed before that it was in risk of infection. She instantly halted her limping and slipping, and leveled her mouth to consistently lick it, blinking with she was able to firmly grasp the thorn. Ignoring the deep rusty taste, she, without hesitation, extracted it. Featherpaw quickly dropped it to resume her licking and soothing.
She'd had experience with thorns before. Just thinking about it made a violent shudder pass through her.

The previous time she'd clumsily stepped on one was by Sunningrocks, where she was rather unfortunate to have a ThunderClan tom that had blatantly mocked her about it. She'd never forget that.
She'd never forget her conflict with Hillfire, too. They were both infuriating toms, seemingly born just to dispirit her. It was such a relief one of them was banished, his harm gone. He'd never harm anyone again.
But the new Featherpaw would.

(OOC: I'm gonna assume they're out hunting since thorns are more likely to be tread on in the territory instead of in camp. :3)

Flurryshine let out a deep, heavy sigh for the umpteenth time, staring down at the river water, watching her wavery reflection and staring into her own saddened green eyes. Quite unlike Featherpaw, she really missed Hillfire. He was the father to Palekit and Icekit after all. She loved Aspenstrike very much, and she felt happy again, but whenever she came to the river to hunt she would always remember the times spent with the talented tom. She was always fascinated with his skills, and she enjoyed boosting his ego with flirting and flattery. She really missed that. She really missed him. "I wonder what Hillfire's doing out there right now... wherever he is. Does he even know he's a father to two beautiful kits?"

《ooc》alright! sorry, i forgot about that in my rush to make these and random spikes of ideas. and sorry for the late reply, too, we've had guests and events that required a lot of preparation!

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She had been deliberately disregarding Flurryshine's bleak, extensive sighs, rolling her eyes with intense exasperation every time she did. Her paw's leaking of blood had eventually eased, and she tentatively placed it down. The apprentice, once adjusted to the slight sting her paw still brought, she frowned at the pristine warrior and gave a light, displeased sniff. What was she doing? Staring at her still reflection, and not being productive? "If you're quite finished with your staring, let's actually hunt and-" Her huff was unexpectedly interrupted by Flurryshine's abrupt utterance. Featherpaw's form instantly tensed as she bristled rigidly at her, eyes widened and glazed with extreme, harsh hatred. Had she just mentioned his name? Out of all the sudden topics, she had settled on talking about him?
Advancing on Flurryshine, paws sliding soundlessly, she fixed her glare on her. "Oh, him? I'd say if  he's not shamelessly menacing cats and taunting and scorning them for ridiculous reasons, I'd have good reason to desperately wish he's dead, for I've experienced his torture," she snarled, her voice dripping with cold, disgusted venom, "But I suppose you're painfully oblivious to his cruelness, because you were previously tormenting cats, too, weren't you? Specifically she-cats?"
"I understand why you two wanted to be mates," she scowled with distaste, "You're both unforgiveable monsters."

Flurryshine's head shot up at Featherpaw's sudden nasty tone towards her, and she stood up to stare at her in alarm. Then guilt began to form into a tight ball in the pit of her stomach when the apprentice mentioned how awful a cat she used to be herself. "Y-Yes, I realize I haven't been the nicest cat in my youth, but I like to feel I'm getting much better. At least, that's what Aspenstrike and Dewshine tell me... I-I understand you don't like Hillfire, and I respect that, but... that doesn't mean you have to call him a monster. Or me for that matter. It's... kind of uncalled for, Featherpaw."

《ooc》once again, sorry for the late reply! ;;

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Paired with a peeved scoff, Featherpaw promptly, and shamelessly, retaliated, "Do you know what else is - or was - uncalled for? Your former mate tormenting me like I was crowfood. You've got him to thank for any alterations in my nature. Its not my fault that I've changed. If you don't enjoy my new self, then why didn't you tell him that, too? Or were you still a blind snob then? You can barely blame me for being who I am now, because you were no better, weren't you?"
Her eyes were glittering with a rather violent fury as she was retorting, and her muzzle had frequently wrinkled whenever she spat out a particularly emphasised word. Her claws glinted as she constantly slid them out of their sheathes, in and out, without any conscious thought.
Why hadn't she changed sooner?

So many thoughts and feelings were clashing together at once, creating a -- dare she say -- flurry of emotions within her. Finally, the emotion that won and took her over was not sorrow or regret, but aggression. She knew she was being quite irrational, but at this point she didn't care. So she thought she was still a snob, huh? A big ol' fox-heart? Well, she was about to see just how nasty of a fox she could really be!

"You know what? I don't even care what you say about me or Hillfire. What I do care about is your attitude! You are an apprentice and I am a warrior; therefore, you need to show me a little more respect. What makes you think I could control Hillfire's actions towards you? What makes you think I even knew what he was doing to you? Just because I knew the tom that doesn't mean that I was just as at fault as he was! Maybe if you just toughened up a little more, started acting less like a fish-hearted kit and more like a warrior, then you wouldn't be nearly as miserable as you are now!" Not bothering to stick around to hear any retaliation from the younger she-cat, Flurryshine stormed past her, shoving her shoulder hard into her side and sweeping her tail underneath her paws to trip her into falling into the river.

"Why should I respect a sno-"
An enraged breath was sharply thrust out as the impact forced her to lurch sideways. The action was so abrupt, so startling and prompt, that Featherpaw didn't have time to register anything as she stumbled away, fazed. She couldn't comprehend what had just occured. The arc of Flurryshine's tail that unpredictably sweeped beneath her resulted in the bewildered apprentice crashing sideways. Towards the river. The rapid, turbulent, uncontrollably raging river.

The strike had rendered her beaten and stunned. Everything seemed to whir, everything was a vortex keenly anticipating her death. A deafening splash couldn't overpower the wail that seemed to shatter everything. All screeches were swiftly terminated by the torrent's power, as she was submerged in the river, the fluids drenching her thick fur. In the haze of the event, nothing seemed reasonable, leaved a shocked and appalled Featherpaw thrashing in the current. Everything was a blur. What just happened?
The weight of her pelt sent her plummeting back into the water, not permitting her to catch her breath. She was getting hurled away, spluttering and wildly whipping around. She couldn't overpower this. She couldn't overpower the river.
Once again, although much more literally, she was getting thrown around like a weak mass of nothing.

No.

Not again.
She couldn't.
She won't let it happen again.

This time, she was going to dominate.